User blog:The Z/Newcomer's guide to Battlefield 3
*Please note this article is still a Work in Progress* Apologies, the original Christmas deadline has been missed due to Uni commitments. I'll be able to continue work on this guide after 16th Jan 2012. In the meantime hold tight and contribute anything you might want me to add in the comments below and check out my other post(s). Hey! Z here, writing my first guide ever on this wiki! I've been lurking around here since the time of Battlefield: Bad Company but never actually logged in - the wiki was smaller back then and, even though I wanted to, I couldn't help the wiki improve (little knowledge, too much work). I've been wanting to write some guides for a long time, similar to the stuff I've seen on Youtube from PixelEnemy and on this very wiki by Zealot Guy. I'd like these guides to be a chance for me the share my tactics and write both concise and detailed guides to cater to all those interested in taking the plunge into the Battlefield franchise, as well as advanced topics for intermediate players and veterans alike. This is a time when there will be many such venturing into the Battlefield for the first time, especially with the recent launch of Battlefield 3 and the success of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. I shall be writing this guide in parts in the run up until Christmas for the inevitable influx of new players that will accompany that wonderful time of year. Feel free to give me any tips and advice and to ask questions in either the comments or on my talk page. More importantly, if this (and other guides) do not give enough information, or they're not clear enough, make sure to send me feedback - it'll only make things better. So, here goes... How to use this guide If you're a beginner, I recommend reading through the article in its entirety. The difficulty and detail increases progressivly in sections and subsections. I will be going into deeper detail in each section and will try to split them up in a way that is accessible and avoids confusion. What is Battlefield and how does it differ from other shooters? Before we get into Battlefield 3, let's begin with the Battlefield series as a whole, specifically looking at games since Battlefield: Bad Company since the latest game in the franchise has more in common with the Bad Company games in its mechanics than with Battlefield 2. Battlefield should be seen as the spiritual successor to Battlefield 2 in terms of its map sizes, vehicle types and handling and the overall feel, but the feel of the game is closer to that of the Bad Company series. That's to be expected, given BF3 runs on the ''Frostbite 2'' engine. In comparison with other first person shooters, Battlefield has its focus set on squad and team tactics, due to its gamemodes, ability to use vehicles and map types. It is important that all members of the team work together to secure the objectives, otherwise you will lose. Make sure to shake up your tactics when things aren't quite working out. What also differs is that there is drop on all projectiles in-game, so you'll have to aim high with weapons when shooting at range. More coming soon... The Golden Rules of Battlefield The following is a short list of the most important things to remember whilst playing Battlefield. *Spot all the time! *Run your vehicle until it's dead! *Don't let an enemy steal your vehicle(s)! *Don't play outside your class's strengths! *Give teammates health and ammo even if they don't ask for it! *Give it to them if they do! *Never drive off with an empty LAV or transport heli! *Adapt to changing events on the battlefield! *Keep spotting! *Get in vehicles with empty gunner positions! *Repair damaged vehicles! *Stay alive if you're the only surviving member of your squad! *Suppresive fire does help! *See an enemy anti-tank (AT) mine or claymore? Spot it and blow it up! Coming soon... Game modes of Battlefield 3 Conquest (CQ) Conquest is the most popular and most famous gamemode in the Battlefield series, being around since Battlefield 1942. This gamemode pits two teams against each other to compete for the control of flags or capture points on the map. The number of points can vay between 3 and 5 on the console versions and 4 to 7 on the PC version of BF3. Both teams start with a set number of tickets. The first time to lose all tickets is the loser. There are two ways of depleting the opponents' tickets: *If more than half the flags are held by one team, the enemy team loses a set number of tickets every few seconds, depending on how many more flags your team holds. *Each enemy that is killed and not subsequently revived costs the enemy team a ticket. There are different types of Conquest modes available in BF3 since the Back to Karkand expansion pack was released. Its maps can offer three versions of Conquest with two distinct types - a traditional version (with all flags uncaptured at the start), one where each team already holds an equal number of flags, and Conquest Assault, where one team holds all points but has no permanent deployment, and the other team has a permanent deployment but starts with no held flags. In Conquest Assault, if you are on the team with a permanent deployment, it is possible to win by capturing all the enemy flags and killing all remaining members of the enemy team, since they have nowhere to respawn afterwards. Rush (RUSH) Rush is a gamemode, introduced in Battlefield: Bad Company as Gold Rush, that places two teams taking it in turns to destroy pairs of M-COM stations. One team is made the Attackers and the other the Defenders. The attackers must destory each pair of M-COM stations in order to move up to the next pair. The Attackers have a limited number of reinforcement tickets (75 by default), so they must avoid death and arm each objective as efficiently and as quickly as possible. Detroying each pair grants the attackers extra tickets. The Attackers win if they successfully destroy all M-COMS. The Defenders win if they deplete the Attackers' tickets. After the round is over, the teams are switched and the same map replayed. Unlike in the Battlefield: Bad Company series, M-COM stations cannot be destroyed by explosives, they cannot be damaged by falling debris, and the buildings they may be housed in cannot be made to collapse. Another change is that if a sole remaining M-COM out of any pair is armed and the Attackers lose all tickets, the game is not lost until the M-COM is disarmed by the Defenders. In addition to this, an M-COM will not explode if it is being disarmed. If the person disarming is killed before they have finished doing so, it will explode instantly. Squad Rush (SQRUSH) Squad Rush features the same ruleset as Rush, but with some changes. Here, two squads of four players fight over only two M-COM stations on a much smaller accessible map area. The number of tickets the Attackers have is also reduced. Squad Deathmatch (SQDM) Squad Deathmatch is an intense gamemode introduced in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in which 4 squads of 4 players each are fight against each other to be the first to get 50 kills. There is one Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) available on each map that can be used to turn a squad's odds around. The accessible area of maps is reduced on larger maps. Team Deathmatch (TDM) Team Deathmatch is a new gamemode for the Battlefield series, introduced in Battlefield 3. The sole objective is to be the first team to reach 100 kills. Spawn points are located randomly around a smaller accessible map area, and squad spawns are still available. Hardcore mode All the above gamemodes can also be played in Hardcore mode. Coming soon... What to do and when to do it Coming soon... In Battlefeld, it's important that you know what to do in each situation you face, and to do it quickly. You need to, in the words of Mark Remo of Pixel Enemy, 'balance cowering like a little pussy with running into the open ground and taking objectives'. Look at your controller or keyboard. See the spot key? (Hint: It's SELECT on the PS3, Back on the Xbox 360 and Q on PC by default) Use it all the time! If you're not sure what it does, point yourself at various things and press it. If you hear an audio cue, such as your soldier shouting 'Get the fuck over here I'm getting f**ked in the arse!' or 'come pick me up, I'm tired of walking' or something along those lines, then it does something. If your helicopter is dying and you're near an enemy helicopter spawn get out of yours and take theirs - you have 10 seconds to do so (all the time in the world)! If you have allies in your heli, drop them off in the same way and let them take enemy air vehicles! What not to do Coming soon... Kits and weapons Assault ... Engineer ... Support ... Recon ... Coming soon... Vehicles, Customisations and how to take them out MBTs (Main Battle Tanks) ... IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) ... LAVs (Light Armoured Vehicles) ... Attack Helicopters ... Scout/Transport Helicopters ... Jets ... Boats If you're reached your destination and won't be needing your boat any more, give it to a teammate or detroy it. You don't want an enemy to get their hands on it and flank your team on water, only to have them and their squad popping up next to your main deployment and for your team to not have a boat when they need it. Coming soon... Maps and tactics Coming soon... Things that are (currently) broken in game Coming soon... Category:Blog posts